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Tertius Mario's Bestiary - Ed. 4
This is a list of various "dangerous and exotic" beasts found throughout Imperial lands. It was written by Tertius Mario, a student in the Imperial University's College of Biology. Excerpts Memfyd The Memfyd is a large and vicious bird, about as tall as a man, and with an appetite for them along with other large mammals...or small ones. It will actually eat anything with a beating heart larger than a mouse. They hunt in small packs, surrounding and overwhelming their victims with a mix of sheir numbers and a few clever tactics--such as the ambush. Their weapon of choice is two large hook-shaped claws. They have one on each foot. The Ojexeguzke hunt Memfyds (Josetuk in their language) for these claws, which seem to be made out of a material which is as hard and strong as iron. The Memfyd lives primarily in the savannahs of northern Ahzyyn and throughout the plains of Eguzke, but it does sometimes venture into the deserts--especially along Ahzyyn roads (and recently, Imperial roads too). It seems to have learned that there are ocaisionally people dumb enough to travel along them alone or in small groups, and that they can eat these people with relative ease. How to Kill It: '''With a lot of speed, good weapons, and at least three other people to help you fight. Perhaps some prayer is also appropriate. Giant Crocodile The Giant Crocodile (Kehmaan in Ahzyyn) is another Ahzyyn beast. It would not be particularly exotic--and only marginally dangerous--if not for its enormous size. The Kehmaan is a simple crocodile, but it is on average over forty feet long. It lives around the Ahzyyn oases and along the southern coast of Khaun Zrauh. '''How to Kill It: '''I would suggest using something among the lines of a catapult or a ballista, but if you find yourself lacking in those, then there is still some hope...if you have a good weapon. The Giant Crocodile's most vulnerable spots are its eyes and the underside of its throat. Enough stabs, shots, or slashes to the throat and the beast will bleed to death. If you can pierce one of its eyes and reach its brain, you could kill it even faster. For a better chance of victory, use poison. Wyvern The Wyvern, with name of vague Thuric origin, is a large reptile. Scholars dispute its nature--some insisting it is a crocodile relative, other insisting it is a large lizard, and still others say it is a type of snake. I, myself, believe that it can belong only in a category of its own. The wyvern is a nasty carnivore which inhabits the lands from the northern coast of Thur (Frost Wyverns) to the southern deserts of Ahzyyn (Sand Wyvern). They come in several varieties--differing little beyond their color and environmental preferences. They have no arms, and only two legs, but they compensate with a powerful jaw, a long serpent-like tail that acts as a whip in battle, and two massive wings--fully functional. They hunt as if they were eagles, flying high in the air and scanning the ground for prey with large, telescopic eyes. When they find a suitable morsel, they swoop down and feast. Thankfully, the wyvern is a rare and solitary creature, preferring to avoid humans if possible. When they stick around human settlements, they have a tendency to be slain by adventurers and soldiers alike. '''How to Kill It: '''If you absolutely must kill a Wyvern, which, frankly is more likely because you're some noble hunting them for sport than because one is attacking you, prepare for a very nasty battle. First off, there is simply no way you're going to hit this thing with a sword--it flies--and arrows, darts, javelins, and even crossbow bolts are not likely to pierce its scaly skin; you need to use something bigger. You need a ballista. I would also suggest doing whatever you can to add a kick to that bolt--smother it in a pitch-soaked rag and light it, or dab its tip in deadly poison. Slimepool and Cavefly Slimpools (Zurongi) are odd things...I hesitate to call them creatures...that inhabit the caverns of Ntarjor. They, externally, resemble a pool of still, murky water. When an animal falls into the pool--or even attempts to drink from it, they become trapped in a thick and extremely sticky gelatenous substance from which there is no escape. The slimepool's prey will slowly sink through the layer of goo into a sac of acid (the Ntarjori have used slimepools as sources of Muriatic Acid for centuries at least) where it is slowly digested. It may seem that these slimepools are of little danger to humans, who are smarter than simple animals, and know to avoid murky pools of still water in dark caves. You would, however, be quite mistaken. The slimepools alone may be no significant danger to mankind, but in conjunction with the cavefly, they are deadly. The Cavefly (Joqtoki) is an albinic horsefly-sized insect with a pair of useless eyes; it is blind. They always live near slimepools in small colonies, feeding themselves by hovering ever so slightly over the top of the goo and drinking it through a proboscus. They have a nasty tendency to bite any animal--including humans--which ventures toward a slimepool. The bites sting for a moment, but ultimately are not harmful in and of themselves; they do not even contain any deadly toxins and they do not cause illness. They instead have a twofold effect--they increase one's thirst dramatically (along with causing other discomforts such as dry mouth, sensitivity to light, and overheating), and decrease his judgement and self-control drastically. The end result is that these caveflies turn the creatures of Ntarjor's caverns...or whoever happens to be nearby...into food for the slimepool. '''How to Kill It: Fire...The slimy, sticky substance on top of the slimepool is highly flammable. The moist environment of the Ntajori caverns virtually ensures that it will never naturally face fire, but they are very flammable. As for the caveflies...apply a strong insect repellent and watch out for them; they can be swatted like any fly. Bloodlocust Unlike the cavefly, bloodlocusts (actually a species of beetle) are extremely dangerous. They have short life-spans--about four or five full days--and as a result, swarms are fairly rare. The rest of a bloodlocusts's life is spent as a fairly normal beetle similar in appearance and behavior to a rhinocerous beetle. However, when enough of these seemingly regular beetles come together for whatever reason they start to change into a "swarming mode". In short, the swarmfly grows a taste for meat--birds, reptiles, and mammals alike--and their exoskeleton turns a bright red color. The swarm will fly across the land, through woods even, and consume any animal they run into. They will eat everything from baby sparrows to full-grown grizzly bears piece by piece, each beetle taking his fill of flesh until its victim is a skeleton. There have been a handful of cases where a bloodlocust swarm slaughtered an entire village, and on rare occaisions they enter cities where they wreak havoc. Should you find that a bloodlocust swarm approaches, you need to find shelter immediately. Get inside of a building, close the door, shut all the shutters, and seal any other significant openings as quickly as possible. The bloodlocust originates from the isalnd of Gieli, but in swarm mode they are known to travel across the subprovince of Pono. '''How to Kill It: '''No sword, bow, or siege weapon is going to have any significant effect on stopping a swarm, but they do have one weakness. They are truly crazed and stupid in swarm mode. Create a large bonfire in an open space and pray that there is at least a breeze that day. Throw some meat in that fire, and a lot of it. Burn a cow or a couple of goats or a dozen chickens. The bloodlocusts will smell it and will swarm into the fire, where they will be cooked alive. They will not stop flying to their fiery deaths upon seeing their comrades die, nor will they attempt to escape the fire as they try to feast on the cooking flesh. Category:Browse Category:Lore Category:Natural Science Category:Bestiary Category:Literature